1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a bearing assembly and, more specifically, to an improved, compact, and inexpensive lead screw or ball screw bearing assembly.
2. Description of Related Art
Linear actuators in mechanical systems, such as robotic systems, require appropriate mechanical components to convert rotational motion into linear motion. Presently, such systems utilize one or more lead screws or ball screws to achieve this motion. Each such screw is typically supported in one of two ways, namely, either by at least one individual bearing situated on each end of the screws, or by an individual bearing on an end of the screw with a nut on a corresponding carriage associated with the screw. In either case, the bearing supporting the screw must include a combination of one or more radial bearings and one or more thrust bearings. These bearing elements form either a lead screw or ball screw assembly. In order to minimize axial play of either type of screw and therefore resultant positioning error of the linear actuator, the lead screw or ball screw assembly must be designed with minimum clearances or be preloaded. Therefore, a design incorporating the aforementioned bearing elements is a complex, bulky, and an expensive mechanism to implement.
It is, therefore, desirable to overcome the above problems and others by providing a lead screw or ball screw bearing assembly that is more efficient, compact, and inexpensive as compared to lead screw or ball screw assemblies presently known in the art.